Nationally-ranked Air Force will take on Army at Empower Field at Mile High this Saturday

In a matchup that could decide the fate of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, the nationally-ranked Air Force Falcons will host the Army Black Knights at Empower Field at Mile High this Saturday.

Air Force is ranked #25 in the initial College Football Playoff poll, released Tuesday. It's the first time in program history that the Air Force has been listed in the CFP Top 25. They are ranked 17th in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll. They're off to their third-ever 8-0 start. 

That's the best start to a season since 1985 when the Falcons started 10-0. 

The Air Force athletics department said Tuesday they've sold 42,000 tickets for Saturday's game. That is more than the current capacity of Falcon Stadium, which is undergoing renovations this season and has a current capacity of 38,000. The team is expecting an attendance of roughly 47,000 on Saturday. 

To compare, the average attendance of an Air Force home game this season is 25,430. The last time the Air Force hosted the Army, 41,401 people came to see the game. 

If Air Force wins on Saturday, they will retain the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. In the round-robin tournament between Air Force, Army, and Navy, Air Force won the trophy 21 times, Navy won it 16 times, and Army won it 9 times. Air Force currently holds the trophy with wins over their service academy rivals in 2022. 

Air Force is currently a 17.5-point favorite to win on Saturday.